Kord Jablonski's Community Spotlight

Kord Jablonski has been our Interim Executive Director since February of this year. Previously, he has served as a Co-Executive Director at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and as the Executive Director of Boston Building Resources just up the street from us in Mission Hill. Kord has been a strong and steady hand at the organization during this transitional time, and we are incredibly grateful for his leadership.

We sat down with Kord to hear about what has impacted him most about working at the Eliot School and why he wants to see YOU at our Nifty 350 Festival!

Get tickets HERE!

Transcript

Hello, my name is Kord Jablonski and I am the Interim Executive Director at the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts. 

What is your favorite artistic medium? 

I would say my first true love is probably abstract works of any kind. Could be 2-Dimensional works on paper, could be oil paintings, or could be sculpture or anything in 3-D. 

What initially drew you to the Eliot School? 

I had the opportunity to work for an arts institution in the past and really loved it. Art, in one way or another, has always been a fixture in my life. I'm married to a working artist, so it's in the house, and I love to be around it. So, the opportunity to be here and have art be part of my professional work again was super exciting. To be at a place that is so deeply rooted in community was also really important to me. 

How has your relationship with the Eliot School evolved? 

I think the thing that I continue to learn every day is what an impact this place has had on so many people. I often have the opportunity to introduce myself and what I do at the Eliot School, and the response is universally, “Oh man, you guys have such a great program!” and “My kid went through the program” or “We knew somebody who did.” It is always really, really positive feedback. I knew this was an important and special place in the community, but I think I'm still understanding just how broad that reach is. 

What are your hopes for the future of the Eliot School? 

It is remarkable that this place has been around for 350 years. My hope is that it's here for another 350 years and beyond that. It sounds a little crazy to say when our country is only 250 years old. But it has been here for 350 years, so I am looking forward to the next 350. 

On the 350 year topic, we have our Nifty 350 coming up on October 3rd, so I hope you all can join us at the Schoolhouse at 24 Eliot Street. We will have food, drink, A Trike Called Funk will be there for entertainment, we will have the graffiti artist Geo leading a community graffiti project that will stay up in the yard after the event, and demonstrations of all of the kinds of classes that we teach. You can try your hand at weaving or painting, or maybe get your face painted. So please come and join us on Saturday the 3rd of October!